Composition, and in particular the iron content, of commercial feeds for mynah birds.

The composition of commercial feeds for mynah birds was analysed with speci al attention being paid to the iron content. To prevent iron overload the i ron content of such diets should be maximally 5 mg/MJ which is equivalent t o 100 mg iron/kg if the commercial diet is the sole food source. Only three of the 12 feeds met this requirement. In all feeds the iron content was mi nimally three times higher than the recently suggested iron requirement of 25 mg/kg. In general, the total iron intake is not reduced sufficiently by providing cooked rice or fruit together with commercial feeds.